The Skulking Way of War: Technology and Tactics Among the New England Indians

This is an interesting little book. It is about the nature of Indian warfare, and how it changed after the Indians obtained firearms. It's also about culture and how the conquerors and the conquered alter one another. This is shown by the adaptation the colonists made to the way they waged war during the extremely bloody, but little known King Philip's War.

Very thoughtful and thought provoking.

When European settlers came to the New World, they brought firearms with them; inevtiably, some firearms passed into the hands of the natives through trade, theft, or battle. How that technology transfer affected both sides is the subject of Malone's slender volume. I read this book more than a decade ago, but some of its conclusions still stick with me: 1) That most natives were better shots with European guns than most Europeans (bow-and-arrow aiming skills are transferrable, but most Europeans had little opportunity to use firearms or bows "back home"); 2) That the natives use of firearms was limited by their inability to manufacture gunpowder or repair their weapons; 3) That the unloading of outdated weapons on less-developed show more countries has a long, long history. show less